


Mona Lisa Smile

by CKBookish



Series: Hard Truths and Other Realities [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce wayne is a nervous man, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is a Good Brother, Gen, Jason Todd is a good brother, Let these men hug it out, Outside persective, Police Officer Dick Grayson, The Wayne family - Freeform, Wayne Gala (DCU), give him a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24277225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CKBookish/pseuds/CKBookish
Summary: “Mr. Wayne, the seating chart is fine.”  Alice looked at the man in confusion. He had never shown this much interest in organizing a gala.Alice had been the Wayne Foundation’s executive manager for nearing seven years. She had organized four events each year for the foundation with little to no interference from Mr. Wayne in all that time.  The only events she had ever had much interaction with any of the Wayne family was the annual fundraisers that Mr. Wayne’s children chose.  This was the second year that Richard had not been present for the planning of his event.Alice could remember the steely look Mr. Wayne had given her when she had asked if it was still going ahead the first year he had been absent.  She didn’t think she would ever forget the chill it had given her, almost as if a ghost went through her.“I… Well if you’re sure.” Mr. Wayne looked anything but sure.A direct follow up to the Irrefutable Truth for sElkieNight60!
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: Hard Truths and Other Realities [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752508
Comments: 43
Kudos: 611





	Mona Lisa Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sElkieNight60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sElkieNight60/gifts).



> So sElkieNight60 asked for this forever ago, and I've finally gotten to it!  
> So here it is the Gala that Bruce invites Dick to at the end of the Irrefutable truth!
> 
> As always I love to hear from you!

Not all smiles are alike

Some are a warning: Don’t come near, there’s danger here

Other’s mean to charm and allure

The best ones: the ones with the most meaning do neither

They’re simply a hello, I’m so glad you're here

* * *

Bruce picked up the name card for the fifth time, and changed it back to its original place next to the Elliots. Then frowned and picked it up again. “Maybe they should go--”

“Mr. Wayne, the seating chart is fine.” Alice looked at the man in confusion. He had never shown this much interest in organizing a gala. 

Alice had been the Wayne Foundation’s executive manager for nearing seven years. She had organized four events each year for the foundation with little to no interference from Mr. Wayne in all that time. The only events she had ever had much interaction with _any_ of the Wayne family was the annual fundraisers that Mr. Wayne’s children chose. This was the second year that Richard had not been present for the planning of his event. 

Alice could remember the steely look Mr. Wayne had given her when she had asked if it was still going ahead the first year he had been absent. She didn’t think she would ever forget the chill it had given her, almost as if a ghost went through her. 

“I… Well if you’re sure.” Mr. Wayne looked anything but sure. He had agonized over the catering, made a pros and cons lists for every potential venue before deciding that the museum _would_ be fine, and called her 16 times to check that everything was still running smoothly. 

“Mr. Wayne, perhaps if you could tell me what has you so worried, I could help you better.” Alice tried to smile encouragingly. She liked Mr. Wayne well enough, she liked his children even more. It had been the highlight of her job to organize the annual fundraiser with Richard for five years. He had been an enjoyable boy and young man to work with. The year before when he didn’t call to schedule a meeting to organize the event, was quite the let down. But she read the paper, and she knew the rumor. 

And Jason, well that was an event she and the rest of Gotham were likely to never forget. He had perhaps not the same charm as his older brother, but he was very excitable and told it like it was. Alice enjoyed the two times she had been able to work with the boy on events dedicated to raising funds for the rehabilitation of addicts. 

“Oh.. Well, I’m not worried. I just want to make sure the event goes well.” Bruce smiled too brightly at her to be believable. 

“Mr. Wayne, did you not enjoy the event last year?” She had done her best to create what she thought would be respectful to both Richard’s past recommendations and … his current absence.

“Well, no. But that wasn’t your fault.” he looked past the piles of elevations and layouts his gaze fixed on something out the window as he spoke. 

“Because?” Alice held her breath for a moment wondering if the question was a step over the line.

Mr. Wayne shot her a funny look and said, “I never enjoy these.”

Alice frowned but let the lie stand. “Very well, that just leaves the head table. So we will have seven seats, and you will be here with--”

“Eight.” Bruce was staring at her intently.

“I’m sorry?” Alice looked at her list again, there were only seven names there.

“We’ll need eight seats at the table. Dick will go next to Jason and Mr. Kinghorn.

“Oh. Yes!” Alice flushed slightly. “I hadn’t realized-- I mean of course. Silly of me.” Alice sat silently rearranging the table for an eighth chair. It seemed like wishful thinking. Richard’s seat had remained determinately unoccupied the year before and she hadn’t had a response to the invitations she mailed to him either. But if Bruce wanted to set himself up for disappointment then who was she to stand in his way. 

Bruce shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. 

“So all that’s left is picking who you want to sponsor.” Alice pulled a blue binder out from underneath the mess of paper, and elevations. 

He sat forward taking it from her. 

“I’ve had them all thoroughly researched. They operate the best treatment and provide quality care.” That had been one thing she made sure. She would never forget the look on Richard’s face the first year they worked on the event when he told her that they could _not_ sponsor elephant abusers. He hadn’t cried, but she nearly did when he explained that the elephant they had at the circus had been rescued from a group that were… unsavory.

“Right. Ermm.” Bruce frowned down at the list for a long moment. “What does Borneo mean?” 

“That’s the type of elephant at the reserve.” Alice wondered if Richard had never told him about all the types of elephants, or if he hadn’t listened when he did. Alice had been treated to a yearly lecture on them. It had gotten to the point where she could describe anything from eating habits to migrating patterns. It was honestly a bit sad. She didn’t even know her own blood type. 

“But…” Bruce looked up at her in shock. “There's just Asian and African right?”

“Err. No. There are quite a few more.” Alice thought she could see his heart breaking. 

Mr. Wayne looked over the list for a long time before he spoke again. “Did… Did he have a favorite?” 

“You would probably know better than I would, sir. He always picked a different place, or type.”

Bruce bit his lip still staring at the words as if waiting for one to magically jump out at him. After a long silence, he pulled a cell phone from the inside of his jacket. Alice almost hoped he would call Richard. 

“Alfred. No, no. Not yet. I was… yes. Do you remember what Zitka was?”

Alice frowned, but remained silent.

“No, I can’t remember either.” Mr. Wayne sighed and hung up. He shot her a small smile. “Sorry, I was hoping… Well it doesn’t really matter if you said they were all excellent.”

“She was Sri Lankan, sir.” 

Bruce stilled suddenly, his hand still half closing the binder. 

Alice wondered if she should have said anything. 

“Sri Lankan.” The word sounded flat.

“Yes. He talked about Zitka a lot.” Alice said in apology. 

“Hrm. Does one of these focus on Sri Lankan elephants?” He pushed the binder back to her. 

“Yes, there is one on the list that cares for Sri Lankan orphaned calves.”

“I would like to sponsor them then please.” Mr. Wayne looked over the table again and added quietly “Is there anything else?”

Alice felt a surge of pity for the man across from her. It was a bit heartbreaking to see really. It was clear that Mr. Wayne only continued the event for Richard. He had no interest in Elephants himself. That was clear to see. “No, sir. I think that takes care of everything.”

Mr. Wayne stood, his hand outstretched. “Thank you. I’ll see you in a couple weeks then.”

He walked just a little too quickly from the room. Alice watched him go, before packing away her notes and designs. She wondered just how many people got to see this side of Mr. Wayne. She would never admit it but she read a tabloid or two. They never did him any justice. They were full of pictures of him partying, drunk and with models. Or they told nasty stories. 

Though she had little interaction with him in the past she had observed him with Richard enough times over the years, to know he really cared for that boy-- whatever the papers wrote. 

The first time Richard came to plan his event Mr. Wayne had brought him in himself. He had sat silently in the hallway while they planned it together, only popping in to ask if Richard was hungry every now and again. Richard had been very adamant that Mr. Wayne be surprised that year. She wondered if the papers would ever get it right. Mr. Wayne clearly cared for Richard. She could only hope that whatever had caused the rift between the two would be resolved one day.

* * *

Bruce straightened his tie again and checked his watch. Jason smirked up at him, far to smugly for his own good. It was difficult but he refrained from pulling him into a headlock. Bruce _knew_ he was lacking subtlety. It was his fault Jason was riled up. He was glancing at the door every few minutes, checking that the table settings were straight, and smoothing down his hair constantly. Bruce was nervous. 

He hated it. 

The decorations were wild and outlandish, the food was an odd mix, and the music -- God save them-- was a classical take on several Bollywood hits. Bruce wanted to just play the original music. Dick would like it better, but this wasn’t just for Dick. It was to raise money and to make the Gotham elite happy, they needed their classical music. 

The room was a tissy of activity. Couples danced and chatted in clusters. Bruce couldn’t focus on anything, but the door. Dick still hadn’t arrived. Jason had assured him multiple times that Dick was indeed coming, but all the same, Bruce could feel the bubbling puddle of doubt growing in his gut. Every few minutes he expected to feel his phone buzz. He waited with baited breath for a text to cancel. He waited for the ‘sorry B, something came up.’ the ‘changed my mind’. Worse yet, he wondered, would Dick even bother to tell him if he wasn’t coming. Bruce feared he would stare at the door and wait the whole night for someone who just wouldn’t show. 

It would serve him right he supposed. For years, he had done just that, been a ghost of a father to Dick. He had missed talent shows, and parent teacher conferences. He had forgotten to help with projects, or book trips. He hadn’t meant to. He had done his best to be at everything. But between Batman, Wayne Enterprises, and every other responsibility, every now and then being there for Dick had just _slipped_. 

He wondered if this was how Dick felt those few times he had promised to show, but then not made it. He hoped not. He almost would rather Dick be indifferent to his existence. 

Bruce wondered his way through the room greeting guests to give himself a distraction more than anything. His nerves were at an all time high, something he hadn’t experienced out of the cowl in a long time. 

“Bruce, you feeling okay?” Lucius Fox patted his shoulder as he neared him. 

“What? Oh.. Hi Lucius. Err yeah. Of course.”

Lucius laughed and handed him his still full glass of scotch. “Here you need this more than I do. So tell me what has you so stressed. It’s not the board again is it? If they are still not agreeing to the Queen deal I can have another look at the numbers and --”

“No. No. It’s not that. They can’t argue with the logic of partnering on production for the project. It’s… Well to be honest. It’s Dick. He’s supposed to be coming tonight.” Bruce drained the glass of whisky. 

“Oh.” 

Bruce looked up in surprise. It wasn’t often that Lucius was left speechless. He was looking at Bruce sadly. 

“What?”

Lucius grimaced. “I just didn’t realize you were talking again.”

“Well, not a lot but I went to see him in the hospital a few times and well… He said he was coming.” Bruce glanced at the door again. 

“Right. How is he?” Lucius spoke slowly as if afraid to set Bruce off.

“Well, he said he was feeling okay. He went back to work on Monday.” Bruce tried not to look disappointed when the door remained unopened. 

“I can’t imagine. If my kids ever… well I’ve got several years before I have to worry about that.”

Bruce glanced back to Lucius. The man had no idea, the number of times he jumped when the phone rang, or the long hours he spent double checking Bludhaven police reports now. 

“You know. If he just got back to work this week, he probably had a lot to catch up on before the weekend.”

Bruce smiled at the offering. He still felt unsure. 

* * *

Alice watched Bruce from behind the table containing the silent auction. He was nervous, very nervous. Her heart sank just watching him look at the door every two minutes. Did he really believe Richard would come? She had never seen Richard arrive late to an event before. He was far more likely to leave early. Alice sighed and pulled her attention away from Mr. Wayne and back to the auction. 

“Yes, Ma'am. As I was saying this item is from an Indonesian artist whose work has been featured in the Louvre in Paris, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.”

“Well, I just don’t think it can be worth all that much.” Mrs. Drake waved her hand over the ceramic piece dismissively. 

“Well, I’m afraid that this _is_ a fundraiser, so I can’t lower the price for the starting bid.”

Mrs. Drake sighed and picked up the pen, filling out the absolute lowest she could bid. Alice shook her head in disbelief as the women walked away. Some days she wondered if it was the alcohol served at the events or if these people were really that stingy. They were all multi-millionaires after all.

She was overjoyed when Mr. Simmons out bit her. 

It was just over an hour into the event that she looked up and saw it. Alice had gone to get herself a glass of wine. The auction was driving her nuts. Some days she wondered why she worked with such rich people, they were absolutely atrocious. As she moved across the room she looked around for Mr. Wayne again. She hadn’t seen him in a while. She hoped he wasn’t too disappointed. She finally spotted him in a small group near the stage. Mr. Wayne had completely frozen. A champagne glass half way to his mouth. Alice could just make out a mop of black hair at chest level practically running through the crowd of people way from him. Jason, no doubt. He was one of the few children in attendance this evening. Alice watched him move, wondering what could have caused him to hurry. 

There in the entrance was none other than Richard Grayson. He was dressed in a light gray suit, that was distantly out of place in the sea of black tuxedos. His tie was lopsided and his hair was longer than Alice had ever seen it. Her jaw dropped. 

Jason plummeted into his brother at full speed. Alice winched in sympathy. The collision was almost audible from across the room. The pair was laughing. Richard gave his brother his full attention as he tugged at him. And in turn he ruffled Jason’s hair. 

Alice’s eyes snapped to Mr. Wayne. He was no longer frozen, but he looked rather uncomfortable. His weight kept shifting from foot to foot as if he was working up the courage to actually move. It seemed his options were disappearing however, as Jason pulled Richard through the crowd after him. 

To anyone watching the scene it might have seemed ordinary but Alice knew. The moment Richard spotted Mr. Wayne, he offered a small smile. It wasn’t his normal overly large grin that could melt even the hardest heart. It was little and shy. In that moment though it seemed to be the most important smile in the world. Mona lisa had nothing on this one, because Mr. Wayne melted. His feet set into motion and he was across the floor in a blink. When they reached each other they seemed unsure of what to do. Richard began messing with his hair. He looked rather apologetic. Probably due to his lateness Alice suspected. 

Mr. Wayne was nodding, his hands making long sweeping gestures as he spoke. Alice wondered if she had ever seen him so animated before. After several minutes Jason narrowed his eyes at the pair. 

Alice felt her blood run cold. Were they fighting? She wondered if Mr. Wayne could handle that. After all he had put into planning the event, to fight as soon as he got here? Alice was sure it would be more than upsetting. Mr. Wayne paled at whatever Jason’s words were. Richard however, laughed. He reached over pushing Jason lightly and turned back to Mr. Wayne his arm lifted. Mr. Wayne didn’t even hesitate before closing the gap. Alice looked away. It wasn’t for her to intrude. She slowly made her way back to the auction table, wine forgotten. 

It was after the dinner had ended that she found her way blocked by Richard Grayson. 

“Alice!” He reached forward pulling her into a gentle hug. “You really do know how to throw a shindig.”

“Richard. It’s lovely to see you. I’m glad you approve, although I’m sure you would have given it much more flare than I ever could.” Alice smiled at him as he pulled away. He looked very different from the young man she remembered. His face was narrower, and his eyes looked sharper than before. She wondered if he was remembering to eat enough. 

“Awe. I don’t know about that.” He laughed looking around. “This is great!”

“Well, Mr. Wayne was very insistent that we go all out.” She smiled, turning to pick up the pens from the auction. The time to bid had ended at the close of the meal. 

Richard moved to collect the papers for her. “Well, if B is good at anything it’s throwing more money on something.”

“Oh no. He picked almost everything.” Alice said, glancing over her shoulder at Richard.

Richard dropped the papers. 

Alice turned back startled as the papers flew about the floor catching on air and fluttering around. 

“I’m sorry, he what?” He ducked down hastily grabbing at the paper.

“He wanted to pick everything.” Alice started to bend down to help, but stopped when he waved her off. 

He stayed kneeling just looking at the paper gathered in his hand for a while before finally straightening up. 

Biting her lip she hesitated, “He wanted to make sure you would like it. I don’t think I’ve seen him care about an event so much in all my years working for him. He especially wanted to pick a good sanctuary.”

She made no comment on the sudden water building up in his eyes. Simply took the offered papers and made her way to the stage. 

As she announced the winners she couldn’t help but watch the Waynes. Mr. Wayne seemed to notice that Richard was upset, which of course made him stiff as a board. Jason seemed to be completely uninterested in the event as he was now reading a book he must have smuggled in, and Richard. Richard was staring at the banner with the name of the sanctuary they were sponsoring. 

Alice really shouldn’t have said anything. They had been getting along so well. She really put her foot in it. The rest of the event wrapped up quickly. It was nearing one AM by the time Alice was gathering signs from the tables, and decorations from the stage. She made her way back stage and began putting them into boxes. 

“B?”

Alice stood stock still. She had thought she was the only one left. 

“Hrm.”

“I just wanted to say thanks for… you know.” Richard’s voice was low, but in the now empty museum hall it echoed. 

“Yeah. Of course, Chum.” 

Alice could almost hear affection dripping from his words.

“I really am sorry I was late. I had way more--”

“No. It’s fine. I meant it.” 

It was silent for so long Alice wondered if they had left. She was too scared to move, afraid if they were still there they would hear her. 

“Dick, do you… I mean if you wanted…”

Richard laughed. “How about lunch next week? That diner on 9th?”

“Hrn is that the one with the milkshakes that look like nebulae?”

“Yeah.” Richard chuckled. 

Their voices sounded more distant, as if they were nearer the door now. She couldn’t even hear their shoes on the marble floor. 

“I’d love to.” Mr. Wayne’s voice cracked slightly as he spoke. 

Alice listed to them chatter the whole way across the room before the door swung shut cutting them off. Silence filled the room. Alice smiled as she resumed packing the boxes. 


End file.
